// ROBOTICS AND SMART FACTORIES TERM
Near-Shoring
Moving business operations or manufacturing to a nearby country, often sharing a border or a similar time zone.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
Near-Shoring is a business strategy involving the relocation of manufacturing or business processes from a distant country to a closer country, typically within the same region or continent, to reduce lead times, transportation costs, and improve supply chain responsiveness.
BACKGROUND
Manufacturing is a vital economic sector in the United States of America. The United States is the world's second-largest manufacturer after the People's Republic of China with a record high real output in 2024 of $2.913 trillion.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- Regional sourcing
- regional manufacturing
- close-sourcing
USAGE NOTE
Companies choose near-shoring to benefit from lower labor costs than domestic options while reducing the risks associated with far-shoring.
DEVELOPERS
Organizations developing technology related to Near-Shoring.
Develops industrial automation and digital transformation solutions. Their technologies, including control systems and smart manufacturing software, create highly efficient and connected factories, which are essential for making manufacturing in higher-cost regions economically viable for near-shoring.
Provides a suite of digital twin and Industrial IoT (IIoT) technologies. Their platforms enable companies to design, simulate, and remotely manage production facilities, facilitating the setup and efficient operation of new manufacturing sites in nearby countries.
A leading manufacturer of collaborative robots (cobots). Their technology enables flexible automation that works alongside human employees, increasing productivity and making it more cost-effective for companies to operate manufacturing facilities closer to their home markets.
Offers enterprise resource planning (ERP) and supply chain management (SCM) software. This software is critical for redesigning and managing the complex, regional supply chains that result from near-shoring, optimizing inventory, logistics, and production planning.
A technology platform for logistics and freight forwarding. Their software digitizes and simplifies the management of shipping and customs, making it easier for companies to establish and operate the new, regional shipping lanes required for a near-shoring manufacturing model.
A global leader in additive manufacturing and 3D printing technology. Their solutions allow companies to produce parts and tools on-demand and closer to the point of consumption, directly supporting near-shoring by reducing reliance on long-distance component suppliers.
Operates a real-time supply chain visibility platform. Their technology tracks shipments across different modes of transport, providing the high-fidelity data needed to manage the faster, more responsive logistics networks that are a primary goal of near-shoring strategies.
A global automation corporation providing intelligent automation solutions, including industrial robots and systems for factory automation. Their technology is fundamental to building the highly automated production lines that make near-shoring competitive.